Key takeaways

• 3 million+ items shipped annually for global FMCG brands
• Marketplace launches reduced from ~3 months to just weeks
• New client onboarding significantly accelerated
• Reduced reliance on large development teams for integrations
• Centralised marketplace management through a single operational layer

Handling 3 million+ direct-to-consumer shipments every year across 30+ stores, Trojan Commerce Group powers ecommerce for some of the world’s largest FMCG brands.

Operating as a true white-label engine, Trojan eCommerce sits behind every customer touchpoint—from storefront to fulfillment. Packaging, delivery, and customer communication must all reflect the standards of brands like Mars, Reckitt, and Danone—making consistency at scale critical.

But as Trojan eCommerce expanded across new marketplaces, platforms, and regions, growth introduced a new kind of friction.

The challenge wasn’t demand—it was operational complexity.

Scaling a complex, multi-channel operation

Trojan eCommerce’s model is built for scale. They manage marketplace operations, fulfillment, customer experience and compliance across multiple channels, often acting as the merchant of record.

Their technology stack reflects that maturity. A central ERP controls stock, finance and reporting, while direct API integrations support core platforms like Amazon and eBay.

But expansion beyond those core channels created a bottleneck.

Every new marketplace required a full development cycle—scoping, API builds, testing and ongoing maintenance. What should have been a commercial opportunity quickly became a technical project.

“Every new marketplace used to require a full IT development cycle,” explains CEO James Rigg. “That meant opportunities sat in backlog, and innovation slowed.”

In practical terms, this meant:

• Launching a new platform could take up to three months
• Smaller marketplaces often didn’t justify the cost of integration
• Onboarding new clients became slower and more resource-heavy

At scale, this created a clear constraint: growth was limited by infrastructure.

Choosing agility over complexity

When Trojan eCommerce evaluated solutions, the decision ultimately came down to something more practical than scale—agility and accessibility.

“At the time, it felt like a bit of a gamble stepping away from traditional integrations,” says James. “But we knew we needed a more agile approach, and a UK-based partner we could work closely with.”

The priority wasn’t just capability. It was finding a solution that would:

• Reduce reliance on internal development
• Accelerate time to market
• Allow commercial teams to move faster than IT bottlenecks

That decision led them to Linnworks.

Removing the integration bottleneck

Before Linnworks, scaling meant building and maintaining integrations for every new channel.

For a business operating across multiple clients, platforms and regions, that model wasn’t sustainable.

“If we had to build our own API for everything, we’d have hundreds,” says James.

Linnworks introduced a different approach—a single operational layer sitting between Trojan eCommerce’s ERP and the wider marketplace ecosystem.

Instead of building integrations, the team could now launch and manage them centrally.

“I’ve now got one technical person who can set up and deploy new stores and quickly get them live. It’s no longer dependent on a wider team, which reduces both time and cost.”

“I’ve now got one technical person who can set up and deploy new stores and quickly get them live. It’s no longer dependent on a wider team, which reduces both time and cost.”
— James Rigg, CEO

From months to weeks

The most immediate impact was speed.

What previously took months—planning, development and testing—can now be achieved in a matter of weeks.

That change has reshaped how Trojan eCommerce approaches opportunity. Marketplaces that previously wouldn’t meet ROI thresholds due to integration costs can now be tested quickly and commercially.

“When the ROI doesn’t justify a full build, we can still go live. That just wasn’t possible before.”

The same applies to onboarding new clients. What was once a technical, time-intensive process is now handled far more efficiently, enabling faster time to revenue.

Enabling the “invisible retailer” model

Trojan eCommerce describes itself as an “invisible retailer”—operating ecommerce infrastructure on behalf of brands without being visible to the end customer.

That model depends on consistency and control across every touchpoint.

Linnworks plays a critical role by acting as a central coordination layer across:

• Marketplace listings and stock
• Order and fulfilment flows
• Integrations with platforms like Shopify, TikTok Shop and TEMU

It also supports Trojan eCommerce’s 3PL and fulfillment operations, allowing clients to connect into existing systems without requiring bespoke development.

Without this layer, maintaining that level of coordination would require significantly more technical overhead—and introduce greater risk at scale.

Features like kitting and bundling opened up new sales opportunities, while velocity tracking helped optimize the warehouse layout. The robust reporting and analytics capabilities now provide the data-driven insights needed to make informed business decisions.

Scaling with control, not risk

Speed alone isn’t enough in ecommerce—especially when representing global brands. Control is just as critical.

Trojan eCommerce uses a layered stock allocation model to manage risk:

• Master stock is controlled within their ERP
• Stock is then passed into Linnworks in controlled volumes
• Further allocation happens at marketplace level

This allows the team to prevent overselling, particularly during sudden demand spikes.

In fast-moving environments—where products can surge in popularity within minutes—this level of control is essential to protecting both revenue and brand reputation.

Measurable impact across the business

Since implementing Linnworks, Trojan eCommerce has seen a clear shift in how the business scales:

“Linnworks is a really reliable middleware for us now. More importantly, it has removed a key constraint—allowing growth to happen without being limited by infrastructure.nvestment.”
— James Rigg, CEO

• Marketplace launch times reduced from months to weeks
• Significantly faster onboarding of new clients
• Reduced dependency on development teams
• Lower integration and maintenance overhead
• Ability to test and scale new channels with minimal risk

Building a foundation for future growth

Today, Trojan eCommerce uses Linnworks as a fast and flexible gateway for listings, integrations and stock management.

But there is clear potential to go further.

Capabilities such as automation, warehouse management and AI-driven optimization represent the next stage of operational efficiency as they continue to scale.

“We use it as a quick, nimble gateway—but there’s more we can unlock.” James explains

With plans to expand into markets such as the Netherlands and Italy, Trojan eCommerce’s next phase of growth will depend on the same principle that drove their initial decision:

The ability to move quickly, without losing control.

Linnworks now sits at the center of that strategy—enabling rapid expansion while maintaining the consistency and reliability their clients expect.

For Trojan Commerce Group, it’s not just about scaling ecommerce.

It’s about scaling it properly.